


splinters in my knuckles

by cathect



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: M/M, i actually wrote something canon-compliant for once, it's romantic if you squint hard enough, set during 2x22, sweet pea is a softie and no one can tell me different, the scene we deserved in the finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 19:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathect/pseuds/cathect
Summary: -“I’m sorry,” Jughead says finally.“You could have—” Sweet Pea’s voice catches in his throat and he has to blink back sudden tears. “I thought you were—” He can’t bring himself to say it.“I know.” Jughead squeezes Sweet Pea’s hand. “But I didn’t and I’m not. I'm right here.”-or, the missing scene from the season two finale.





	splinters in my knuckles

**Author's Note:**

> i decided to write this drabble because we absolutely deserved a scene of sweet pea going to see jug in the hospital. toni too, of course, but mostly his boyfriend sweet pea. set during 2x22 - "brave new world."
> 
> big thank you to erin, as always, for being the best editor around!

“You here for Mr. Jones?”

Sweet Pea looks up at the nurse’s voice. He’s dressed in all baby blues, a stark contrast to Sweet Pea’s own Serpent jacket and dark jeans. He’s got a clipboard in one hand and a soft smile on his face.

“Uhh.” Sweet Pea stands from his chair in the waiting room and wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Jughead, yeah. Is he awake? Is he okay?”

“He’s awake,” the nurse answers, gentle despite Sweet Pea’s demanding tone. “As for ‘okay,’ he’ll probably have to tell you that one himself.”

Sweet Pea gives an uncomfortable, forced chuckle, because he knows that’s what the nurse is aiming for with his comment. “Right,” he says, even less convincing than the chuckle. “So I can see him now?”

“Of course.” The nurse lifts the top paper from the stack on his clipboard and consults the page beneath it. “Was there anyone else you were waiting on?”

Sweet Pea knows he should wait for Toni. It shouldn’t be too long, since she’s just gone down to Pop’s to grab some food. But the thought that Jughead is _awake_ and so damn close is just too much for Sweet Pea’s already addled brain.

“No,” he says. “Just me. Toni’ll come back when she gets here.” He shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and hopes that it looks as casual as he wants it to.

The nurse seems to pay him no mind as he gestures towards one of the hallways with his head. “He’s back this way. Follow me.”

Sweet Pea tries to keep a reasonable distance but, no matter how many times he tells himself to slow down, he ends up on the nurse’s heels. He towers over the other man by a good seven or eight inches, and he knows his presence must be teetering on the edge of straight up looming, but he just can’t bring himself to care.

“In here.” The nurse opens one of the doors and holds it open so Sweet Pea can walk inside.

FP is sitting in a chair at Jughead’s right side, and he and Jughead both look up when Sweet Pea enters the room. Jughead’s face looks awful— it’s bruised and split open in a few places, but he’s alive and smiling at Sweet Pea.

“Shit, Jones.” Sweet Pea shakes his head as the door shuts behind him. “You look terrible.” He crosses the room to Jughead’s bed and clasps his hand with the one Jughead is offering. They hold onto each for a moment, a reaffirming hello without words, before their hands drop.

“I’m going to go grab some of that shitty coffee from the cafeteria,” FP says. He stands and stretches his arms behind his back and Sweet Pea wonders how long he’s been sitting in that chair. “You boys want anything?”

“I’m fine,” Jughead says and Sweet Pea nods in agreement. FP leaves the room as Sweet Pea tugs a chair to Jughead’s left side and sits down.

“Now that I know you’re okay,” Sweet Pea starts. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Jughead sighs. He sounds exhausted, and Sweet Pea almost feels bad for pushing him to talk about all of this. But, of the multitude of emotions thrumming in his veins, he’d rather focus on his anger first. It’s the most familiar thing, and the easiest one to deal with.

Jughead doesn’t answer, so Sweet Pea barrels on. “Offering yourself up to Penny fucking Peabody on a silver platter, Jughead.” He sighs and asks again, “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking—” Jughead pauses and lets out an almost harsh breath to calm the tone of his voice. “I was thinking I could end it all. That it would be over if I just let her have what she wanted.”

"It’s Penny,” Sweet Pea spits bitterly as he drops his gaze. “It’s never that simple.”

“I know.” Jughead’s voice is softer than before. “I just thought…” Sweet Pea can feel Jughead’s eyes on him, but he can’t look up from his hands. A battered, bruised hand slides into view, and Sweet Pea takes it without a second thought. “I’m sorry,” Jughead says finally.

“You could have—” Sweet Pea’s voice catches in his throat and he has to blink back sudden tears. “I thought you were—” He can’t bring himself to say it.

“I know.” Jughead squeezes Sweet Pea’s hand. “But I didn’t and I’m not. I'm right here.”

Sweet Pea sniffs and laughs and desperately hopes that it sounds less emotional than it does to his ears. “Yeah.”

“Look at me,” Jughead says softly. Sweet Pea snaps his eyes to Jughead’s, and Jughead squeezes his hand again. “I’m right here, okay?”

Sweet Pea feels more tears burn behind his eyes under Jughead’s gaze, and he feels smaller than he has in years. And even though he can’t understand why, it’s not an altogether _bad_ thing, so he just nods his head.

“Yeah, okay,” he says. “But if you ever, _ever_ , plan on doing something that fucking reckless again…”

This time, it’s Sweet Pea that squeezes Jughead’s hand, so hard he thinks he might be grinding the bones together a bit. It’s got to be painful but, if it is, Jughead’s face doesn’t show it.

“Just— take me with you,” Sweet Pea says. “No Serpent stands alone, remember?”

Jughead grins and repeats the law, “No Serpent stands alone.”

“No Serpent stands alone.”

Toni’s voice comes from the doorway and Sweet Pea takes his hand back. He has nothing to hide from her, but the moment with Jughead has ended and the tension breaks as she walks in.

“I come bearing gifts,” she says as she holds up two bags from Pop’s. She and Sweet Pea both laugh at the way Jughead’s face lights up.

“An angel sent from Heaven above.” Jughead grins as Toni leans over Sweet Pea to hug him.

“Glad you’re okay,” she says, soft and genuine and just between the three of them. “We’d be lost without you.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t.” Jughead’s cheeks go a little pink and he shakes his head. “You’d be fine.”

“No,” Toni insists. “We wouldn’t.”

And Sweet Pea knows, deep in his bones, that she’s right.

**Author's Note:**

> come visit me on tumblr @devilstrip!


End file.
